Us Against the World
by Elle Seren
Summary: Mariku and Ryou are partners in the Domino police force. After Mariku goes on a two week vacation from work, Ryou is stuck in a particularly stressful case and comes seeking his partner for comfort and advice. Deathshipping AU, one-shot.


**A/N: I woke up yesterday morning after barely sleeping at all and then what do you know, BAM! New story idea! Not sure if I dreamt it up or if I wrote it out well, but I would appreciate some feedback. If you're reading this and have read my other stories you might be thinking, what is she doing starting another story when she should be working on her other ones? Well, most of my stuff is pre-written anyways so don't worry (if anyone was worrying that is). **

**Things you should know about this story: It is AU (alternate universe AKA not canon) and it is DEATHSHIPPING (with hints of Thiefshipping) and therefore obviously it is yaoi and since Mariku and Ryou are awesome together obviously there is some lime but since this is also obviously rated T, it's not a lemon. Obvious enough? Okay, great, also one last thing: I'm pretty sure this is abhorrently OOC in the most painful of ways but I did try to make a half hearted attempt at keeping them in character. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

He turned the police cruiser onto the street, not even having to look at his GPS to know it was the right one. He'd only been here a couple times before but he remembered each time vividly...this was such a bad idea.

Ryou stopped at a stop sign, leaning his head against the steering wheel for a moment, wondering what exactly he was doing _here_ of all places. Yes Mariku was his partner but that didn't change the fact that this was just setting himself up for disaster.

He never watched his tongue when he was upset and technically Mariku wasn't even on this case. Still...it had been weeks and he was going nuts without his regular partner to consult with and calm him down when he got worked up from the most recent case.

Pressing down on the gas he edged forward again, turning when he reached the house labelled 'ten', pulling into the driveway. He could see 'his cop' sitting on the porch in a chewed up wooden chair that probably belonged to someone else's grandma, looking mildly curious as to why a police cruiser was turning into his driveway.

Ryou nibbled the corner of his lip, hesitating, but then took one of Mariku's lessons to heart and threw caution to the wind for once. He had never been a rule breaker, constantly living by the book as a rookie and even when he made detective he'd clung to the small amount of sanity in the hellhole that each case seemed to turn into.

A couple years ago that changed when he was assigned his official partner, a cop by the name of Ishtar Mariku who immediately struck him as...different. To say he didn't always play by the rules didn't quite cover it.

At first his eccentric attitude versus Ryou's play-it-safe regime grated against each other bitterly but slowly they came together. Three years later they were one of the best teams their local station had to offer; constantly having each other's back in court or on the streets depending on what the situation was.

Ryou stopped trying to tame him when he realized his maverick attitude was actually _useful_ when he kept it in check in comparison to some of the rookies running around nowadays who thought they could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted.

Sucking in a deep breath, Ryou reminded himself that if he had a problem Mariku always said he could come to him and that it would be off the record. Pulling his keys from the ignition he shoved the door open and climbed out, slamming it behind him before looking up to lock eyes with his partner.

Mariku didn't budge an inch, still looking curious as Ryou crunched up the gravel driveway, stress no doubt apparent on his face. Hopping up the three stairs of his porch easily he came to a stop in front of his friend and partner who stared back, cocking his head slightly as though to say 'go on'.

"Well I'm here," Ryou said and Mariku rolled his eyes, breaking the uncertain tension.

"I can see that. You also look like you got run over by a truck not to mention you've never come to my house unannounced before. So what's the problem?" He analyzed bluntly and Ryou gave him a small ghost of a smile, collapsing in the chair beside him weakly.

He'd come straight here after work, the day having been labelled a 'black coffee day' from the minute he woke up. Although he'd already downed two strong cups he was craving another one already as a headache pounded in his temples.

"I thought I was supposed to be the detective in this team?" He teased gently and Mariku grinned winking at him just to make him uncomfortable, therefore making him _more_ comfortable. Ryou wondered vaguely what messed up world he was living in that that made any sense at all.

"You know me just as well as I know you, and you're constantly stressing over something. How about just relaxing for once?"

"You'd know about relaxing, you've been on vacation for two weeks," Ryou grumbled, rubbing his forehead gingerly.

"Bad case?" Mariku asked casually though curiosity burned in his voice. Honestly Ryou was surprised he lived for this long without chasing someone down and handcuffing them to the nearest set of monkey bars just for the adrenaline kick. Mariku was the essence of confidence, never stressing but also never stopping, he liked to constantly be on the move.

"You know I can't tell you..." Ryou said slowly, face pinched as he battled internally. He knew coming here was a bad idea, he was on the verge of a break down and he trusted Mariku with his life. The details of this case were going to come out one way or another.

"I forgot, detective Touzoku never bends the rules a little," Mariku jibed though Ryou merely winced slightly. He received constant ribbing from just about everyone in the barn about the strict way he followed the code like it was law which he argued, it sort of _was._ That didn't stop anyone else from breaking it though.

"Come on Ryou, I'm your partner, half the barn thinks we're sleeping together anyways. No one's going to blame you if you fill me in a little," Mariku begged, commenting on their 'sex life' casually though Ryou winced again, much more noticeably this time.

"Well that's awkward," He mumbled, knowing he'd be demanding some answers at work tomorrow. Did people really think he and Mariku were sleeping together? Well Mariku didn't have a reason to make it up, so the answer was probably yes.

He sighed, dragging himself up in the chair as images from work flashed through his head, all the problems piling one on top of another chaotically. Burying his face in his hands he groaned, shaking his head slightly. He so could not handle this right now!

"You can't tell anyone, alright?" He said weakly after a moment, hating himself for being unable to handle it alone but he'd worked with Mariku for so long he didn't know how to deal with major cases without him anymore.

Mariku shifted in his chair, tugging on one of Ryou's hands. Ryou tilted his head to the side, letting his long white tresses cascade down his shoulders, cracking open pitiful brown eyes to look at Mariku who was staring back unblinkingly, dark mauve eyes serious.

"No one's more important than my partner," Mariku swore solemnly and Ryou thrilled internally at the words, praying to God that he wasn't blushing. It was a simple vow, nothing official but something one partner said to another around the local station.

Whenever Mariku said it though, Ryou wanted to believe it meant so much more, especially with those dizzying eyes on him...but they were partners in work, nothing more.

"Now tell me whatever's got you so stressed out," Mariku demanded and Ryou sighed again, sliding his fingers through his hair, sitting up straighter in anticipation of getting this all out.

"I don't even know where to start. When you took off for your vacation, Len-san decided to suit me up as a temporary training officer for one of the rookies" –

"Which one?" Mariku interrupted eagerly in his usual impatient way. Ryou cracked a small smile, rolling his eyes. It figured that Mariku would know all the rookies on a first name basis already.

"Malik-kun," Ryou answered making a small face and Mariku chuckled, grinning slightly.

"That kid? I wouldn't say he knows much about the real world but he was good for a laugh," Mariku said fondly, tone betraying that he liked the rookie better then he let on.

"No kidding he doesn't know about the real world," Ryou growled irritably. "He managed to almost completely screw up our operation on day one all because he wouldn't stay put when I told him to. I thought the humiliation of me having to clean up after his mess would teach him but no, the next day, same thing! He thinks he's bloody superman or something," Ryou complained, nightmarish images of all the things that had gone wrong within the first week flashing through his head.

At least Mariku looked amused by his clear frustration with the unruly rookie.

"Did you try handcuffing him to the car? That's what I did when they assigned me a rookie," He joked and Ryou looked at him carefully, trying to see if he was joking but he seemed a hundred percent serious.

"That's not even the worst part though," He continued quickly, feeling some of the stress abate just sharing this much. Mariku always knew how to cheer him up with stories of his own exploits. On first glance some of his idiotic schemes made him seem like a half-baked rookie fresh out of the academy but he always managed to pull off something ingenious that paid off in the end.

Ryou was convinced it was only dumb luck and his own brains that got them where they were today.

"Of course, no every day rookie could make you crack," Mariku teased, once again poking fun at Ryou's stress levels which were constantly rocketing above 'unhealthy'. Ryou glowered, sticking his tongue out immaturely.

Mariku chuckled darkly, snapping his teeth suggestively which convinced Ryou to put it away and not tempt him. His partner was not above biting to make a point.

"This week Atemu-san gave us a new case, something simple that should have been easy to handle, right? It was a meth bust, some people cooking it up in the basement and after a deal went south, shots got fired, whoever was shooting spooked, left the body and the drugs and got out of there. We were only supposed to go to make sure the premise was clear so forensics could move in. You know the drill; I go in, tell Malik-kun what to touch and what not to touch, clean up whatever he breaks then go back to the barn and write up a short report to testify with. But no, that can't happen, we get there and one of suspects happened to be returning to the scene so Malik gives chase, runs him down three blocks away and manages to break his arm in the struggle, cuffing him in a park _full_ of staring people. Not only were the lines blocked with people calling the station about it, the whole thing was on the news making us out into idiots as though that guy was innocent or something and we chased him for no reason! When we finally got him back to the station it turned out Malik managed to catch the drug lord himself, not the murderer, meaning the person who got shot half a dozen times could have been anyone since our meth guy wasn't saying a word."

"So...you just had to testify for a more complicated case? They didn't leave you on it, did they?" Mariku asked, confused, and for good reason. As Ryou had explained they generally gave the rookies simple cases to start off with, it was easy enough to mess up those as it was.

"No, I'm still on the case, so is Malik. I had to beg Atemu-san to leave us on after Malik rushed into work all excited, babbling about how he found a solid witness. Normally I'd say great, give me their name, bring them in, throw them in the interview room, I'll write down their statement then pass it off to the new people they were assigning. Didn't quite work out that way...guess who the kids witness was?" Ryou asked in frustration. Mariku didn't say anything, knowing it could have been any number of people.

Ryou took a deep breath, let it out slowly then said in a calmer voice, "It was Bakura."

"What?" Mariku asked bluntly, looking a little shocked.

"Yah, I know. Apparently he and Malik 'know' each other and while they were 'talking' the other night Bakura filled him in about how he was tailing somebody, the person owed him money or something from a poker game, nothing serious, but when he got there he heard gunshots. Being Bakura he's had plenty of experience with people shooting at him so he ducked and covered but saw someone shoot out the window and then run for it. He followed the guy to see where he stashed the gun then came back to the place and took a look around once he was sure the guy was long gone. His 'friend' that owed him money was the one that got shot up, he says he had a cranking habit and if he could get a look at the drug dealer Malik brought down he'd be able to say whether he was the one doing the shooting."

"Lucky for you that 'Kura was around then," Mariku said grimly though his tone suggested that he knew the crazy tail wasn't finished yet.

"No, not lucky! You know how Bakura gets with the law, after I begged to stay on the case knowing some of the other cops around the station would be happy to turn 'Kura into a suspect, I had to get Malik to convince him to be a witness without cuffing him and dragging him in. Once we finally got him there Atemu-san immediately wasn't happy about our choice of witness and when he started poking around to find a reason not to trust Bakura...well you can imagine how he handled it."

Mariku sighed in unison with Ryou this time, easily able to imagine the havoc Bakura would have taken glee in causing. Unlike his twin brother, where Ryou clung to the rules as a life line, Bakura preferred smashing as many as he could without getting in serious trouble.

When push came to shove he always shoved back, no matter who the oppressor was, even Atemu-san who was the chief of police and had had some not-so-pleasant run-ins with Touzoku Bakura in the past. Suffice to say they weren't exactly fond of each other.

"So basically you're stuck with Atemu-san trying to prove your only witness is corrupt, a rookie who doesn't listen to anything you say and Bakura being...Bakura?" Mariku confirmed, wincing for Ryou's sake when he nodded, expression exhausted just thinking about it. No wonder he was stressed out.

"Normally I could handle Bakura being an idiot and trying to mess things up, but it's even worse than normal. You know how I said Bakura and Malik 'knew' each other?" Ryou asked, frustration mounting in his voice again and Mariku immediately sensed where this was going.

"Yes..."

"Well not only are my rookie and my brother involved in this _case_ they also made it blatantly obvious that they're also hooking up!" Ryou cried, wanting to scream at the injustice or tear his hair or do both.

"I mean, I can't believe Atemu-san hasn't stumbled upon at least one good reason to kick us off the case yet and make Bakura a suspect. If it's not bad enough that I'm related to the witness, Bakura is practically rubbing the fact that he and Malik are sleeping together in his face. God, I don't know if I can handle it anymore, this whole case has been one disaster after another. I want my partner back," Ryou pouted, giving Mariku a sulky glance.

Mariku had the decency to look mildly guilty since his vacation was the indirect cause of all this.

"Come here," He said and Ryou gave him a slightly longing look, hesitating but when Mariku gestured impatiently he stood up, walking over to sink down at his feet with a weary moan.

"Kevlar off," Mariku insisted and Ryou unzipped his vest, removing the heavy protective layer so that only a tight white muscle shirt stood between him and Mariku. The cool air actually felt good against his pearly white skin though he'd probably start to burn in a couple minutes even under such weak sunlight.

Marik bent down and began rubbing circles across his shoulders, moving steadily down as he encountered a minefield of knots that had no doubt been building up nonstop for the past two weeks. They were probably an odd sight, two men in their twenties sitting on the porch, an Egyptian giving the albino a deep back massage like it was perfectly normal.

If someone had seen them at the station they most likely wouldn't have thought much of it, after all, they were partners, damn good ones at that but out here on the street people would think twice over the word 'partners'.

"So by hooking up...do you mean they're just sleeping together or is this a for real thing?" Mariku asked casually and Ryou stiffened as he pressed on one of the knots hard. "Just relax, Ryou," Mariku breathed in his ear and he shivered, trying to force his muscles to unclench.

_Because relaxing while your hands are all over me and we're talking about my brother's sex life is so easy,_ Ryou thought bitterly, glad his partner couldn't see what was sure to be an embarrassing expression on his face.

The problem with getting a back massage from Mariku wasn't the funny looks they got –it was the way all his muscles wanted to turn to jelly and all he was able to focus on was those strong hands running up and down his back. The thoughts it gave him were enough to make him blush like a school girl with her first crush.

"You mean...Bakura and Malik?" He asked hesitantly, forcing his tongue to form words instead of panting desperately or doing something equally embarrassing.

"Who else?" Mariku asked in an amused tone, leaning down to peak at him from the side. An adorable flush highlighted Ryou's cheeks as he quickly turned his head to give his partner Bambi eyes that could have gotten him off of death row, not that he'd ever have a reason to be there.

Mariku narrowed his eyes suspiciously but an affectionate smirk played about his lips, swooping in to press a quick kiss to his cheek which instantly turned a darker shade of red, letting out an unmanly sound of surprise before whipping back around to face the street to hide his embarrassment.

"Yes, I was asking about 'Kura and Malik, _detective Touzoku,_" Mariku finally said, poking Ryou's side gently so that he had to clamp a hand over his mouth to hold in his laughter.

"It's not funny, _young man_," He grumbled back, knowing how much Mariku liked to tease him about his effeminacy. With looks like his, pale lily white skin that never tanned, big dark brown eyes, pink lips, slender figure despite his constant fight to put muscle on it, and long messy white locks that he refused to cut, Mariku wasn't the only person in his life who'd poked fun at his appearance in his lifetime.

Mariku just happened to be the only person who did it so...affectionately.

It was no secret that Mariku was gay and he knew Ryou was too though unlike his more playful partner he wasn't much of a dater. Since he also happened to be drop dead gorgeous in a deliciously manly way, Ryou didn't have much ammo against him other then despite his own 'young' and 'girlish' features he was actually several months older then Mariku.

He shook himself slightly, trying to lose these thoughts and focus on the conversation at hand. This was exactly why he knew coming to see Mariku when he was upset was such and good yet such a very _bad_ idea.

"Being 'Kura I'd say they're just hooking up since relationships really aren't his style but everything I've seen contradicts that," He sighed slightly, remembering how cute the two had looked when he walked in on them cuddling in the interview room.

He relayed the scene to Mariku who made a surprised sound, not quite able to picture a typical rough-around-the-edges guy like Bakura cuddling with some hyped up new rookie but whatever they saw in each other must be worth it since he knew Ryou would never lie about something like that.

"So what have you been doing during your vacation time anyways?" Ryou asked abruptly and Mariku shrugged, even knowing Ryou couldn't see him. The knots were gone but his fingers kept making circles across his back, not wanting to let go of him just yet.

If he was honest it had been a long two weeks away from his partner...he'd missed him, a lot more then he thought he would in more _ways_ than he probably should but he couldn't bring himself to care either. Ryou's department was worrying over the little details, all Mariku knew was that being with Ryou like this or when they were chasing down bad guys or...really just being with Ryou at all made him happy.

"I guess just relaxing," He finally said for Ryou's sake and Ryou muffled a small snicker.

"I'll believe that when you can prove it. There's no way you could just relax for two weeks. Were you out partying every night?" Mariku made a face as Ryou tilted his head back, soft pink lips curling into a teasing smile. Mariku sat up straight, pulling his hands away slowly so that his disappointment wouldn't be too blatantly obvious.

"Of course, just last night I drank myself stupid, woke up in a naked woman's bed and evidently got laid," He replied with a smirk as Ryou scowled uncertainly.

"You didn't really, did you?" Mariku rolled his dark purple eyes, thumping the whitette's cranium lightly.

"No, I didn't do any of that. I really just relaxed for awhile, I swear...and my family came to visit," He admitted and Ryou winced on his behalf, laying his head back against his knees, twisting so that he could look up at him with one large milk chocolate eye.

"Mm, hope they didn't give you too hard of a time," Ryou said in his sweet mannerism though it was always genuine when talking to Mariku. First his otou-san had left his ka-san when he was still a baby, forcing him to grow up with two older siblings and a single mother in the rough part of town.

His ka-san contracted AIDS and died before he turned sixteen, but his siblings didn't let him drop out of school and help support the family, instead encouraging to 'do something with his life' like become a doctor.

Instead, Mariku chose to become a cop which didn't please them too much followed by him coming out of the closet. His siblings tried to support him but having a mother who died of AIDS didn't really encourage the whole 'gay love' thing.

It had taken many years for Ryou to get the full story from him and he respected Mariku immensely for not backing down throughout the whole thing. He himself had never worked up the courage to tell his father face to face about his sexuality, instead waiting till he lived in a different city and could just blurt it out over the phone.

"Ishizu was still a bit stiff but she softened up when I reminded her about my partner," Mariku laughed wickedly, grinning slightly at the memory and Ryou felt his heart jolt painfully.

"Since when do you have a partner, and why haven't I heard about him?" He asked jealously, glaring up at him and Mariku raised his hand to flick his forehead gently; making him wrinkled his nose in that adorable way.

"You of course, although Ishizu thought I was talking about the other type to," Mariku teased and Ryou felt his heart drop again, realizing that his jealousy was unfounded almost disappointingly so.

"You didn't tell her we were dating or anything did you?"

"I assured her we weren't living together. She seemed a bit disappointed, she actually likes you," Mariku said cheerfully, loving that even after working with him for three years he could still make Ryou blush easily.

"Mariku! Just because we're not living together...she's going to think we're seeing each other now," Ryou cried with exasperation and Mariku just shrugged, still grinning slightly.

"So? Like I said, she likes you anyways," He said like it was no big deal, and to him it wasn't. Ryou banged his forehead against his knees with a small moan of disbelief.

"Sorry, forgot you were having a rough time," Mariku grumbled, running an eager to please hand through his white locks soothingly that did wonders to Ryou's stress. It also did unhealthy things to his heart though and he quickly pulled back from his awkward position.

"You should be, I have no idea how I'm going to survive the next week without you. By the time you get back I'll probably be in the bucket myself for shooting Bakura just to shut him up," He pouted, rubbing a weary hand across his face that looked far less feminine when he was stressed out with wrinkles marring his smooth forehead.

"You wouldn't shoot your own brother. Besides, if he's annoying you too much I can always come back early," Mariku said offhandedly and Ryou immediately looked horrified as he hopped to feet quickly.

"No, you're on vacation; I don't want you to cut it short just because I'm a little stressed!" He insisted and Mariku just rolled his eyes, running a hand through his wild white blond hair that stuck out in about five hundred different directions from his head though he stubbornly claimed it was natural.

"Ryou, you're more than a _little_ stressed, and it's not like I'm doing anything around here anyways," Mariku assured him and Ryou twisted his lips in a straight line, crossing his arms equally stubbornly.

"I already came here and wasted your time whining to you about this case when you're not even supposed to be on it let alone having to worry about it," He said in an unsettled tone, unable to quite put his finger on why it bothered him so much until Mariku winked at him and said:

"Who ever said I had a problem with pretty boys throwing themselves at me? You're the one who thought I was clubbing every night for the past two weeks." Ryou fought the heat crawling up his neck under his tight muscle shirt that felt lacking under Mariku's scrutinizing glance.

"I know, I don't deserve a partner like you," Ryou mumbled humbly, looking down at the deck. Mariku shot to his feet, deeply tanned hand reaching out to cuff his head none too gently, and then moved around to tilt his chin up with a tight grip.

"Ow," Ryou complained, rubbing his head with a scowl. "Why did you" –His words were cut off when Mariku grabbed his hand away from his scalp, pulling it down by his side.

"Don't say stuff about yourself like that, it's annoying as hell," Mariku said bluntly. Ryou opened his mouth to protest but Mariku raised his hand, pressing it firmly against his lips.

"No one is more important than my partner, you've got my back and I've got yours, and all that shit. You're one of the few people I actually respect and you know it's true so unless you have a problem with _my_ standards then don't go putting yourself down, got it?"Mariku snapped and Ryou nodded quickly, eyes widening hugely at his sudden strange fury.

"Good," Mariku said gruffly, releasing him from his rough hold and Ryou felt all the stress of the last couple days rising bubbling to the surface again like a burning thought consuming flame. One stress more pressing then all the others burned at the forefront of his mind.

"Um...Mariku...could we go inside for a second?" He asked and Mariku looked at him suspiciously, probably wondering if he'd been a bit too brusque with Ryou though he sounded more nervous than upset now.

"Why?" He asked slowly as Ryou nibbled his lip, shifting restlessly.

"I just...have something I need to tell you and it feels awkward out here where anyone could be listening in. It's important," He insisted. Mariku only hesitated briefly then shrugged, giving him the go ahead. Ryou walked over to the door, opening it and then stepping forward a couple feet into the hallway.

Over the pounding of his heart he heard Mariku's footsteps following behind him, shuffling to close the door behind him and Ryou was pretty sure the explosion in his chest was deafening even to Mariku as he spun round to face him.

"So what did you want to...holy shi -!" His shocked expletive was cut off as Ryou threw himself at him, slamming him bodily against the door. Their chests met solidly driving the air from Mariku's ill-prepared lungs, followed quickly by Ryou's 'delicate' hands cupping his face in an iron grip as he dragged him down for a passionate kiss.

Mariku was pretty sure he forgot how to breathe when he felt Ryou's tongue probing between his lips, hot and wet and just plain _shocking._

"..." The muffled sound he made sounded suspiciously like he was still trying to say 'holy shit' but Ryou's lips covering his didn't leave much room for speech. His mouth fell slack automatically and Ryou didn't hesitate to take advantage, giving him a deep open mouth kiss as he pressed even closer to Mariku's body, if that was even possible.

Mariku brought his hands up slowly, body confused with how to respond to this aggressive approach, sliding them around Ryou's slender waist. Only now he could feel how hard he was trembling and shaking his head he managed to disengage Ryou's mouth from his own, pushing him back a little.

"What the _hell_ was that?" He demanded, eyes wide as he tried to understand what had driven his partner to jump him like that. Ryou breathed deeply, slowly opening his distraught eyes though Mariku's gaze dipped a bit to those still damp full pink lips.

Hm, he wouldn't mind kissing him again right now...

As usual he pushed the thought away. Clearly, this was not the time to be thinking about making out when Ryou seemed even more freaked out then he had been earlier. Ryou's hands which were shaking noticeably quickly released his face, stepping back out of his embrace.

"It's official, I'm an idiot," He mumbled, bringing his hand up to palm his face the way he always did when he couldn't find the words to describe something. It usually meant he was utterly exasperated and more often than not it was over something he himself did.

"Mind explaining why you just made out with me, _partner?_" Mariku stressed, and Ryou moaned, shaking his head no as he ran his fingers through his hair, encountering several tangled knots which was saying something because Ryou normally took good care of his hair except when he was stressing.

"Tried, I didn't make out with you; I just _tried _to make out with you. It's different," He pointed out in a weary voice.

"Then why did you" –

"_Because_ Mariku, I'm stupid, that's why!" He snapped, finally completely losing it as it sunk in that he'd literally just jumped on his own partner and kissed the daylight out of him, out of virtually nowhere.

"You know I don't deal with stress well, and you've been gone for two weeks and with this whole thing with –with the rookie, and Bakura and that whole mess and trying to deal with it all without you and then I came to see you thinking it would make me feel better but I knew, _I knew,_ it was a bad idea because believe me when I say even in my own head I know how stupid I am! So I see you and then it's like this overwhelming urge to tell you everything so I do but even that's not enough because you started talking about freaking dating and hooking up and I've had this stupid, _stupid_ crush on you since...forever, and the second the words are out of your mouth it's all I can think about and I'm freaking out on the inside but trying not to tip you off that I have this huge crush on you and then you start talking about guys throwing themselves at you and how much you care about me and...And...What was I supposed to do? Walk away? Yes, I should have walked away but I couldn't do that. God, I am so, so,_ so_ _stupid!_" Ryou ranted pacing rapidly back and forth from one end of the couch to the other while pounding his own forehead with his fist.

He ground to a halt, breathing ragged as though he was caught between breaking down in tears or punching something with all his strength. Mariku looked at him wearily, taking a slow step closer though he still felt a little stunned by everything he'd just absorbed, most of which revolved around Ryou using the words 'you' and 'crush' in the same sentence.

"Ryou, just calm" –

"I can't calm down! I can't bloody calm down when I just confessed to my best friend and my partner that I have an enormous crush on him and I have for _years_," He exploded again in a flurry of white hair and exaggerated hand gestures.

_You left out the year's part the first time,_ Mariku thought but despite his dry thoughts he couldn't think of a reason to regret Ryou's words.

"Okay, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Mariku announced firmly and Ryou gave him a ludicrous look.

"What are you" –

"Hard way it is," Mariku decided for him then slid another step forward to hook his hand around the front of his shirt, carrying him right over the back of the couch and landing him on the cushions below.

Ryou flipped himself over, scrambling to a sitting position in time for Mariku to leap over the back of the couch after him, piling his weight hip first on his waist and slamming his back into the cushions in a brutal pin.

The two partners stared at each other intensely as the adrenaline slowly drained between them, breathing returning to normal.

"You didn't need to be so rough," Ryou finally grumbled, struggling to get marginally more comfortable beneath him and Mariku smirked a little, feeling quietly pleased.

"Well I was a little afraid you might try your kissy attack again," Mariku teased, puckering his lips together. Ryou turned bright red, remembering everything that had happened all over again. Staring determinedly at the ceiling with a glazed look in those milk chocolate eyes he mumbled a, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, I'm more interested to know what all that that you were ranting about was," Mariku said eagerly, caring less about the actual kissing then _why_ Ryou had suddenly been into kissing him when he'd never shown any interest Mariku had picked up on before.

"I told you, I've had this...really big crush on you for pretty much as long as I've known you," Ryou confessed in a much more calm, logical manner this time though his cheeks looked like they were bleeding they were so red.

"Really?" Mariku asked disbelievingly. "I thought you hated me when we first met," He pointed out suspiciously and Ryou snorted slightly bitterly.

"Hate? No, you drove me completely _crazy _when we first met in every way you can think of. It got a little better once we really became partners, you know, about two months in" –

"After our first big case. The first time you actually had to shoot someone," Mariku finished, recalling it easily even though it had been three years ago. Ryou had been a mess afterwards, completely shattered over the idea that he'd fired shots that actually took someone's life and it had been Mariku that put him back together again.

"Yah, that was it," Ryou agreed with a sigh, bangs falling stubbornly in his face. Mariku reached up carefully to slide them away and Ryou worked valiantly not to press into his touch or look him in the eyes. This was hard enough as it was without him making things any more awkward.

"So...what, you wanted to sleep with me all this time?" Mariku asked as a precaution and Ryou's head snapped up, giving him an absolutely indignant look. Mariku planted his feet on the ground, driving his weight back into Ryou's lower abdomen as a reminder that he wasn't going anywhere.

"_No,_ I didn't just want to sleep with you this whole time. I wanted to...you know..." He trailed off, flopping his head back on the couch, embarrassed all over again.

"You wanted to...?" Mariku prompted dryly, wondering what could be more embarrassing then just wanting to sleep with him. After all, he'd met lots of guys and girls alike who wanted to sleep with him and he usually turned them down, he wasn't some sort of man-whore which Ryou knew full well.

"I wanted to date you," Ryou said, hands muffling his face again as he managed to free them from his sides. Mariku felt something inside him jump excitedly. This was definitely not happening right now, it was way too good to be true.

"So basically what you're saying is as a detective you were partnered with a cop three years ago after five years on the force and pretty much the first time we met I somehow managed to make you crazy about me and it developed into some sort of monstrous crush that randomly chose today to make you extremely horny," He asked bluntly and Ryou blushed vividly squirming beneath him uncomfortably.

"I-I wouldn't put it like that," He stammered and Mariku rolled his eyes.

"So explain it better," He prompted and Ryou sighed.

"Basically it went like this: I was on the force for five years, I reached detective, they partnered me up with a cop who happened to be you and you happened to be this cracked up cop with ridiculous schemes that always worked out in the end through sheer luck and determination. You also happened to be gay and incredibly mouth wateringly gorgeous which was extremely distracting for someone in...my position."

"You're position?" Mariku interrupted.

"As in we're both gay and I was your partner for an indefinite amount of time and we were always in the change room together, _alone_," Ryou explained shortly and Mariku made an understand noise, grin spreading across his face mischievously.

Ryou hurried on before he could make use of the 'interesting' information. "Anyways...then after fighting with you every step of the way because you insisted on making everything difficult I ended up shooting that person and it turns out you're this amazing guy who can do nothing wrong because you were there for me when I broke down and didn't say a word about it afterwards. At this point I'm thinking obviously we're good partners so I shouldn't be looking for a romantic relationship with you and I'd manage to stop thinking about it for awhile but then you'd do something stupid or charming that would make me fall for you all over again! And...yah...it's been like that for three years," Ryou admitted sheepishly as Mariku looked down at him, flattery and surprise written across his face.

"And today you decided to confess all this because...?" He finally asked and Ryou scowled slightly.

"Because you dropped off the face of the earth for two weeks and I bloody missed you! I knew coming to see you was a bad idea, I just didn't know it would be so hard to...control myself," He explained for lack of better word.

"So the kissing was you 'losing control' of yourself?" Mariku confirmed and Ryou nodded slowly, avoiding his gaze again.

"It's like an addiction," He muttered, "Like every time we completed a case I wanted to kiss you senseless that much more." Mariku chuckled again deep in his chest, pulling his feet up on the couch so he could swing one leg over, straddling his slender hips comfortably as he leaned down on the poor pinned boy with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"So _basically_, basically...you've had a gigantic crush on me for three years?" He said flatly, grinning a bit as Ryou nodded nervously, squirming underneath Mariku, not oblivious to their extremely suggestive position.

"Good," Mariku murmured huskily, leaning down so his hot breath was directly against Ryou's ear, making him jolt violently, "Because I was having trouble not just jumping you every time we were alone lately." Ryou's breathe snagged in his throat audibly while Mariku leaned back with another small laugh.

"W-what did you say?" He stammered, staring wide eyed at his partner, not believing the words coming out of his mouth.

"I said, I've wanted to jump you every time we were alone together for the past six months. It's no three year feat like you but I've always kind of had a soft spot for you," He admitted wryly.

"Six months? I know you've hooked up with at least one person in the last six months," Ryou accused though his chest was rising and falling a little faster than normal as Mariku nonchalantly knelt back, grabbing his knees and spreading them neatly so that he could lean forward between his legs provocatively.

"Ryou, hooking up with someone is not the same as wanting to date that someone," Mariku explained teasingly, stretching across the man underneath him to nibble his earlobe enticingly, producing a shocked noise from him.

"O-oh. And w-what am I then?" Ryou stammered as boldly as he could. Mariku held himself back for a moment, stroking his thumb over his flushed cheek tenderly.

"You, Touzoku Ryou, are definitely boyfriend material," He said in confirmation and Ryou collapsed back on the couch in relief, letting out a huff of air.

"You didn't have to draw it out that long!" He scolded weakly, heart hammering beneath his ribs as he felt Mariku shifting impatiently, hyper sensitive to his every movement now.

"But it's fun to see you panicking. Honestly, I can't believe it took me three years to realize you had the hots for me," Mariku gloated, while wrapping his hands around Ryou's thighs and wrenching him forward abruptly. Ryou gave a small cry of alarm, squeezing his legs automatically as Mariku hitched them up around his own hips, forcing Ryou to throw his arms around his neck tightly if he wanted to stay somewhat upright.

"Oh my God...oh my God...Mariku this is such a bad idea," He breathed but his voice was breathless with desire, pressing himself closer to his partner's thickly muscled body eagerly.

"No Ryou, this is such a _good_ idea," Mariku growled back, "Now less talking, more making out."

"Ok," Ryou agreed pathetically, letting Mariku swing him down to plant a voracious kiss on his lips that were still buzzing from their last kiss. The feeling was obliterated by a whole new wave of deep seated hunger, especially because Ryou's tongue wasn't doing the seeking this time as Mariku's kiss swept him away.

Mariku thought things couldn't possibly get better then making out with his partner who he'd had a 'thing' for, for what felt like _way_ too long without actually hooking up with him, but after a couple minutes of heated kissing Ryou began moaning into his mouth and the sound drove everything inside him completely berserk.

Even his hot blood that had already been boiling in his veins was now absolutely scorching as their kissing grew chaotic with haphazard touches thrown in all over the place. He spent the make out session finding Ryou's weak points, where to touch to make him jerk violently but his first real clue as to what Ryou wanted was when he slid his hands over his pectorals and he gave a particularly loud moan, squirming beneath him deliciously.

Plunging a hand under the tight muscle shirt he started stroking his pale ultrasensitive skin and when his finger caught on a nipple the whitette went absolutely wild underneath him, bucking his hips helplessly against Mariku's waist where his thighs were still hooked.

This in turn drove Mariku crazy, wondering vaguely why he hadn't just jumped Ryou _months _ago, because this was positively the single most amazing feeling in the world. Turned out it didn't matter, because they were both hot and panting within a matter of minutes.

"Mariku..." Ryou moaned coherently this time when the blond pulled back from the heated make out session for the first time to kiss down his flat lily white stomach desirously, yanking his shirt up in one hand to make way.

His hands detangled themselves from Ryou's hair, moving to fumble with his belt, only thinking about how he wanted to hear his name moaned like that in Ryou's needy voice many, many more times. God, if that wasn't a turn on, what was?

"Wait...wait," Ryou panted, catching his hands weakly and shoving them away from his loosened belt buckle. Mariku kissed back up to Ryou's mouth, planting another sucker on his lips before pulling back, one hand still curled persuasively around his belt, playing with the zipper of his pants.

"What is it?" He asked, sucking in enough air to manage those three simple words.

"Do you..." Ryou stopped, breathing deeply again then opened his eyes, staring up at Mariku dizzyingly before asking, "Do you love me?" Mariku froze, feeling the frenzying excitement die down a little, just enough for him to think more clearly.

"I...what...well...do _you_ love _me?_" He demanded, feeling his head spin with the heat of the moment and Ryou's sudden words. Not so sudden if he took a couple seconds to think about what he'd just been attempting to do.

"Yes," Ryou answered with zero of the uncertainty that was all over Mariku's face. Ryou took one look at that confused expression and sighed, putting his hands on the couch to pull himself up properly but Mariku pushed him back down, desire battling his will to actually think.

"Wait, please Ryou...please, I want you so badly right now...and...it's just sex," He pleaded and from the immediate shocked look on Ryou's face it was obvious it wasn't 'just sex' to him.

"Oh my God, I can't _believe_ you just said that," He mumbled, horrified as he twisted away quickly, sliding back against the arm of the couch to prop himself up again.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Mariku blurted in frustration, balling a fist against his leg irritably, flustered from the sudden moment and now this equally sudden change in direction. His body wasn't ready to give up on getting laid just yet but Ryou didn't seem to be having the same problem.

"I don't expect you to love me Mariku, but I expect _some_ respect, at least as your partner in law," Ryou snapped and Mariku gave a low moan, running his hands through his hair.

"Ryou I'm..." Ryou turned his back on him, adding more frustration, disappointment and even several flames of anger to his already smouldering pile of confused emotions that were burning out of control.

"Look at me," He snapped, wrenching him back around to face him by his shoulder. Ryou's pale face had closed into his 'cop' expression, lips pressed in a straight line as those warm soft fawn eyes froze into mud.

"I'm trying to apologize, alright? And you know how much I suck at that so just _listen_, would you? I got carried away and God damn it Ryou you have no idea how much you make me want you. But...I'm sorry for forgetting how your, um...well..."

"Just say it Mariku, I'm a virgin," Ryou said coldly, folding his arms bitterly. "I'm a virgin and you know it, I know it and everyone at the station knows it to!" Mariku glared as Ryou's voice rose along with his temper, mauve eyes drilling into his face irritably.

"I was _going _to say that you're sensitive about that sort of thing. I don't care about your virginity." Ryou's face contorted in another scowl, moving to stand up and Mariku let out a primal sound of frustration, pouncing on his partner again to knock him flat on the couch aggressively.

"_I didn't mean it like that!_" He stressed then tried to calm himself down, leaning his face against the pale column of his partner's neck helplessly for a moment. Shifting off of the rigid man underneath him he straddled his waist firmly, holding his hands above his head in a manacle grip so that he could stare down at him seriously.

"What I meant was...I don't care that you're _inexperienced,_ but if you don't want to give up your virginity because of your _sensitivity _then I can...try and understand that. I know sex is more than just a good time in the sack for you, so I can wait until you're ready," He said with growing conviction though he sounded a little doubtful about his ability to wait.

Not because he thought he'd get tired of Ryou, but more because it was obvious his self control was a little rusty. Amazing how this had started with _Ryou_ jumping _him._

"A good time in the sack? Couldn't you have thought of _any_ better way of saying that?" Ryou asked, looking a little nauseous at the term and Mariku chuckled, nuzzling his neck again affectionately with his lips, loving how such a simple motion could make Ryou's breath catch audibly.

Oh yah, that was the other thing...his little comment about love...backing off again he raised his hand and swatted the side of Ryou's head with a solid thump, producing a pained whine from his partner.

Glaring Mariku said, "That was for saying that shit about how you don't expect me to love you back."

"But you said" –Mariku cut him off with a sigh, shaking his head so his blond spikes waved in the air lazily.

"I never _said _anything. I...I guess I'm not sure. You know I want you and when I say want you I'm talking for more than just sex. I really do want you to be my...you know...partner, outside of work, I mean. I want to date you and watch movies together and do all that other couple-y shit, and I do want to screw you senseless eventually but that can wait awhile. I just need a chance to be with you before I tell you I love you, because I don't just want to be saying it to convince you to sleep with me."

A scowl adorned his face as he spoke but Ryou sensed a softness behind the gruff confession. Mariku really meant what he was saying as far as Ryou could tell, and he already trusted the other with his life. Why not with his heart then?

"So...what does this make us?" Ryou asked with a shy hesitation and Mariku looked down at him curiously.

"Whatever you want, I guess," He said with a nonchalant shrug that said far more about his feelings then he'd ever admit. As he'd blatantly said earlier, there weren't many people he respected fully in the world though he wasn't really a nasty person either, just slightly dismissive to most people.

Ryou was his partner; he'd learned to respect him deeply on more than one level at this point but saying something like 'whatever you want' which would be no big deal to most people was something monumental coming from Mariku. He liked to be the one making the plans and he really_ dis_liked being told what to do.

This in mind Ryou pouted his lips slightly and said stubbornly, "Well I want to know what you want us to be." Mariku rolled his eyes but smirked a little, obviously pleased by this response.

"I want us to be partners," He released one of Ryou's wrists to paint a finger over his lips that were parted to protest, silencing him easily. "Not the working kind of partners," He teased and Ryou flushed a bit, looking slightly dazed at the concept though a smile was curling his lips sweetly.

"I suppose you could call yourself my _boyfriend,_" He said in that slightly husky tone and Ryou let out a small nervous giggle that was so unmanly for someone over the age of thirteen that Mariku couldn't help a laugh at his expense.

"What, don't tell me you've never been somebody's boyfriend before," He teased, knowing full well that he had, running his fingers through his white locks luxuriously if slightly seductively as well as he lidded his mauve eyes. It was hard to resist, Ryou just looked so utterly delicious underneath him like that.

"Of course I have, I've just never been _your _boyfriend before," Ryou responded, blushing slightly as he used the word himself.

"You'll enjoy it," Mariku assured him with a gleam in his eyes and Ryou smiled up at him innocently before yanking him down for a quick kiss that succeeded in catching his new boyfriend by surprise.

"Promise?" He teased not-so-innocently but didn't give Mariku a chance to respond, kissing him again more deeply this time, persuasive tongue playing against Mariku's that was hesitating slightly in his usual aggressive advance.

"Mm, are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked in a concerned tone as he pulled out of the kiss, earning a mewl of disappointment from Ryou.

"Mariku," Ryou sighed, twisting his lips together in a childish pout, "Just because I don't want to go all the way right away doesn't mean I'm not open to having some...um..._fun_ while we're waiting." The words held just the right amount of slight awkwardness yet tantalizing suggestion to have Mariku raising eyebrow, staring down at Ryou with a sly expression pulling at his lips.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" He asked in a low voice, hand already creeping back underneath Ryou's shirt, making him shudder with anticipation.

"I'm sure you can be creative..."

**A/N: I'm sure you all can be creative to and fill in the blanks for yourselves as well! I'm thinking about writing a second chapter where Mariku comes back to work...I want to show how he acts with other people because in this chapter he seems totally OOC from the way he acts around Ryou. Let me know what you think, if people like I'll get to work right away on the next chapter ^_~***


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